Safety comes first when choosing a home

Safety is the most important factor in choosing a new home, according to a survey by mortgage and secured loan broker Ocean Finance.

The research showed that the majority of adults in the UK (60%) - equivalent to 30.1 million people - consider safety to be one of the three most important factors when considering where to live, while half (49%) would make finding somewhere quiet a priority. Only 1% said they would like to live in a “lively” area.

Ian Williams of Ocean Finance said: “The old adage about the three most important factors when choosing a property being ‘location, location and location’ hasn’t changed - but it is interesting to see what factors drive that choice of location.

“Whilst avoiding areas of high crime is obvious, the importance of being able to park nearby and avoiding noise may be less so.

“Of course, finding a property you can afford to buy or rent is the main driver, but as a nation we remain very clear about where we do, and don’t, want to live.”

The survey asked 2,061 people to select the three most important criteria for choosing a new home - whether to buy or rent - outside the actual property itself.

Factors considered important by those questioned included availability of parking (35%), closeness of family and local public transport links (both 27%), and being near schools or within a catchment area (25%).

When asked to select the two criteria which would most put them off a property, being cited in an area known for crime came top, with 72% of adults saying this would discourage them.

Londoners had the highest tolerance for crime in the UK, with fewer respondents in the capital (60%) saying it would put them off.

Areas of high crime were followed by being located near a sewage works - which would deter 43% - and being under a flight path or near an airport (25%).

And although some people may dream of being right next door to a pub or restaurant, 14% said it would definitely put them off moving in.

Peter Lawrence at Lawrence Rand said: “The results of this survey are unsurprising and represent the ideal wishes of the buying public. Buying a home usually involves some form of compromise, often based around affordability, and there are buyers for all properties if they are correctly priced and marketed.”